Vyrio Balarr
Vyrio Balarr is a member of the illustrious Balarr family of the island of Pryr, and considered to be the head of the trading company that has made them rich, the Balarr Family Mercantile Company. He currently resides on the island owned by the family, Pryr, which is found in the northern Stepstones, inside the fortified manse known as Gildstone. He holds the single largest fleet of merchant cogs outside the Guilds of Qarth to the Far East, and commands a mighty number of warships to protect their cargo from pirates, corsairs and envious Free Cities. As of the Siege of Myr, he now rules over Myr as its Triarch. Appearance Despite the close proximity of Tyrosh and the long-standing ties of the Balarr family to the Free City, Vyrio does not dye his hair, instead leaving it black, with streaks of grey showing at the edges. The skin of his face and hands, repeatedly exposed to sun and salt on the waves is no longer smooth, and creases have started to form around his quick, watchful brown eyes. He stands an average height, and his time at the helm of his fleet have allowed his to maintain a trim figure, despite his life of luxury. History Helping in the interests of the family business as soon as he had comprehension of letters and numbers, Vyrio was born in the fifth moon of 239AC, just five years before the start of the War of Unification, which ravaged the Daughters and the Stepstones. Despite his attempts to keep Vyrio and his brothers away from the fighting by his father Varqo, they quickly learned the truth of their father's involvement. Selling weapons in all forms, from the raw iron ore found upon their island home to already forged blades, Varqo had fuelled both sides of the conflict, profiting off the market generated by war. It was at this young age that Vyrio truly started to understand the cutthroat, exploitative stance that merchants had to take in order to survive. After the War reached its conclusion, the three Balarr brothers continued their training in tradecraft more formally under the watchful eye and careful hand of their father and uncles, who sought to shape them into the magnates that would take control of the company once their time was done. Knowing a deeper understanding in trade and business would be necessary, Varqo, Tychor and Marys brought teachers from across the Known World, including the Archmaester of Math and Economics at the time, a sharp-witted man named Nestor with an equally quick tongue. His lessons jumped between Common Tongue and Bastard Valyrian on a whim, something Vargen, Vyrio and Daario lamented initially, but grew to respect and appreciate with time. When his uncle Tychor was killed by corsairs from the Basilisk Isles near the end of 255AC, Vyrio feared that his father might forbid him from sailing out of fear that he would lose a son as he had lost a brother. Instead, he found himself surprised when his father ordered the construction of three new flagships in the shipyards of Pryr for him and his brothers, faster than any of those the family had attempted to build before. Meanwhile, his other uncle, Marys started a number of visits to the Summer Isles, seeking out the families upon them, hoping to secure exclusive trade deals for the company. After a number of years, his aspirations were finally achieved, and he took the Princess of the Isle of Birds, Zhala Toda, as his wife. The family has since owned a small manse found on the northern aspect of the isle, which serves as a popular retreat for members of the family when needed or desired. Vyrio, at the helm of his ship Prospect, ''in honour of the ship given to his ancestor Irror for his service to the Phassahran family, visited the manse a number of times both before and after his uncle's death following complications from a spider bite. Many joined him on his journeys, but most significant amongst them Baelor Targaryen, the current heir of House Targaryen and the title of Bloodraven. His father Varqo lived for several more years after his younger brothers, continuing to steer the family towards sound, profitable choices for their business, whilst avoiding several potential catastrophes, most notably so arrangements with a questionable sellsword company, later hunted down and eradicated by the Lyseni harbour for piracy. Sharing the responsibilities of their uncles between them, Vargen, Vyrio and Daario continued to learn, and with it their personal wealth steadily grew. Their investments spread further, buying up vineyards and mines in the Braavosi and Norvoshi hills, acquiring fertile lands along the Golden Fields of the Rhoyne. Work upon their home of Pryr and Gildstone progressed too, paid for by the profits of their acquisitions, and the deals new and old that allowed them to transport exotic animals, woods and gemstones from the Summer Isles, spices and silks from Qarth in conjunction with the Tourmaline Brotherhood, vintages of wine from the Arbor, Reach proper and Dorne and slaves from the cities of Slaver's Bay. Where there was the potential for profit, the sigil of House Balarr and their blue-striped ships would not be far behind. The truth of the Stepstones as far from a trader's paradise were made abundantly clear by a single night in the tenth moon of 266AC however, when a mighty storm ravaged the island. Two dozen cogs were shattered in the harbour itself, and over two-thirds of the remaining ships damaged by the fierce winds. The misfortune continued to peak when it became quickly apparent that Vyrio's older brother, Vargen had been aboard his own flagship at the time, its scuttling taking him and his crew to the bottom of the bay, along with a fortune of cinnamon, saffron and ginseng from Yi Ti. His father suffered grievous injuries when part of a tower under construction at Gildstone collapsed, and within the week, Vyrio had lost both his father and eldest brother. The experience seemed to harden him, and instead of grieving he took on their responsibilities for his own, leaving Daario the few matters he deemed trivial. Timeline 239AC - Vyrio Balarr is born to Varqo Balarr and his wife Phaea, a year after his older brother Vargen. 243AC - Vyrio's younger brother, Daario, is born. 245AC - Vyrio's younger sister, Serenei, is born. 247AC - Vyrio and his siblings begin their tutelage under Archmaester Nestor and a number of other teachers, learning economics and business as soon as he can comprehend letters and numbers. 255AC - His uncle Tychor dies, and he is gifted a flagship of his own, which he names ''Prospect. At its helm, he sails between the ports of Westeros, the Free Cities and the Summer Isles. 266AC - A great storm hits Pryr, resulting in the deaths of both his father and older brother. 266AC onwards - Vyrio assumes the role of the Head of the Balarr Family Mercantile Company, and continues to work to further the interests of the Balarrs via trade deals, acquisitions of land near and distant, and construction of more ships for their fleet. Family The first mention of the Balarr Family is the Pentosi harbour logs in around 145AC. Irror Balarr, first-mate upon the vessel Sable Centaur, ''captained by Aeraphos Phassahran. The vessel, having returned from Qarth, came laden with exotic spices and fabrics, yielding enough profit to facilitate the purchase of another vessel. The ship, dubbed ''Prospect, was given to Irror in exchange for his years serving aboard, and the two began business partners. Carrying supplies of greater and greater wealth, Captains Aeraphos and Irror began to grow very wealthy, and with their riches worked to expand their fleet, further and further. Within the year, their ships numbered less than ten, but after a decade of journeying back and forth, the fleet had grown to include dozens. The Balarr Family Mercentile Company In 156AC, Captain Aeraphos and the ''Sable Centaur ''were lost near the Basilisk Isles, and Irror took the opportunity to reorganise management in the merchant company. He removed nearly fifteen Captains whose loyalty he doubted, replacing them with family members and those others faithful to the Balarr name. This cull is considered by many historians to be the point in time when the Balarr Family Mercentile Company was truly born. After consolidating his fleet, Irror sent them to the corners of the world, and vessels baring the Balarr crest would be seen from Oldtown and King's Landing to Asshai-by-the-Shadow and Ib. Growth under the Four Brothers When Irror died in 172AC of a chill, the Company passed into the hands of his four sons, Lahelos, Syreo, Varys and Noro. Between them, they brought the Family even more prosperity. * Lahelos - Captain of the Balarr Merchant Fleet, doubled the number of cogs at their disposal, allowing for greater and more profitable trade across all of the known world. He also began to militarisation of some of the vessels in order to protect the valuable supplies transported. As the Balarr crest grew more and more well-known, and the value of their shipments became common knowledge, the cogs found themselves targeted by pirates and, on very rare occasions, Free City vessels. * Syreo - Seeking to expand influence beyond that of the waves, Syreo started purchasing and investing in quarries of stone and ore across Essos. It has, to this day, proved to be a lucrative decision, especially since the acquisition of the Stepstones Island of Pryr. * Varys - Meeting with Archons, Magisters and Triarchs alike, Varys sought council with the leaders of many of the Free Cities, seeking to lower tariffs and taxation on products brought into the city by Balarr vessels. Finding success in Volantis, Lys and Myr, the agreement drove some captains to seek mergers with the Balarr fleet, and many more out of business. * Noro - Inspired by his eldest brother, Lahelos, Noro set to obtaining and fortifying warehouses, recruiting men to guard them in return for payments of food and silver. Over time, these guards would expand in number greatly, reaching strength in the thousands in present day. The Envious Free City Around fifteen years after the turn of the century, the so-far unchecked growth of the Balarr Family Mercentile Company met its first true obstacle, following an altercation between two vessels, one owned by the Balarr Family, the other by the Free City of Pentos. Although the exact details of the initiation remain a mystery to all but a few, the results continue to be very publicly known. Eighteen moons and nearly three-thousand lives later, the two rivals finally called for peace, primarily due to the impact the skirmishes were having upon trade profits. While some animosity lingers between those few old enough to remember the incident, be it personally or vicariously, the butchering of Captain Draqos Nahin and the Battle of the Burning Sea is considered firmly in the past by most. Caught in the Doldrums After the altercations with Pentos, the Balarr family struggled for a few years to find their place within the trade of the Known World, having lost much in the fighting. Although the casualties and losses were equal on both sides, the Free City was capable of suffering such a blow, whereas the independent and smaller-scale nature of the Merchant Company meant they suffered more. In this time, Donario Balarr, his brother Jorys, and sons Aren, Aresso and Rarjo tried to strengthen their position once again. When Donario was killed during a scouting mission to try and acquire lands on the Orange Shore for production of wine, his son Aren took the lead in the general management of the company. Acquisition of Pryr It took nearly a decade for the Balarr Family Mercentile Company to truly recover from their losses, but under leadership from Aren, Irror's great-grandson, the Company began to grow once again until it rivalled the wealth and influence enjoyed for nearing a century. Feeling constrained by the governments in place within the Daughters, Aren Balarr and his wife Ahrira sought a new location in order to assure the future of the Company. This came in the form of Pryr, the northernmost of the major Stepstones islands, occupied at the time by the Pirate Lord Melvan Chaffton. Pryr, the closest of the true Stepstones to the Free City of Tyrosh, has always been kept under a close eye by the mercantile city. When the highly prolific and illustrious Balarr Family Mercentile Company decided to expand out from their establishments in the Daughters, the island of Pryr was deemed the most logical choice. The Pirate Lord occupying the island, a Stormlander wishing to rival the island status of House Tarth and Estermont via an isle-based seat of his own, was quickly disposed of. In a short naval skirmish between the half-a-dozen warships of Lord Melvan Chaffton and the much larger, better equipped Balarr fleet, the Stormlander was slain, and his seat claimed. Within just under six decades, the Trading Company had established three settlements upon the island of Pryr, a large harbour town called Balarr, the in-land outpost of Silverpit, named for the ore-rich quarry upon which it was built and Gildstone, a fortified manse in the centre of the island. In recent years, the Isle of Birds, traditionally ruled by the Toda Family, has been owned in all but name by the Balarr Family, who have purchased the allegiance of the Toda family in exchange for exclusive trade of wildlife and exotic woods from the island. The family owns a small manse found on the northern aspect of the isle, which serves as a popular retreat for members of the family when needed or desired. Supporting Characters Family members: * Daario Balarr - Commander of the Island Watch - Gift: Martially Adept * Serenei Balarr - Gift: Magnate * Matara Balarr - Princess on the Isle of Birds - Gift: Beauty * Jaltholhar Balarr - Steward of the Isle of Birds - Gift: Administrator * Zharas Balarr - Prince of the Isle of Birds - Gift: Administrator Others: * Ballio Ormoris - Representative of the Balarr Family - Gift: Authoritative * Morgan Sand - Enforcer of the Company - (Potential player pending) * Jorys - Captain in the Island Watch - Gift: Leadership * Garrett - The Watcher Upon the Waves - Gift: AgentCategory:Essosi Category:Pryr Category:The Balarr Family Category:Stepstones Category:Essos